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EP-4137032-B1 - INSERTION DEVICE

EP4137032B1EP 4137032 B1EP4137032 B1EP 4137032B1EP-4137032-B1

Inventors

  • Lebiedzinski, Lukasz
  • Sumera, Kamil
  • Biernacki, Grzegorz
  • Sadlo, Pawel
  • Brzezanski, Michal
  • Szczypczyk, Marek
  • Pyteraf, Michal
  • Dziedzic, Damian
  • Sierotowicz, Konrad
  • Szczerbuk, Jakub
  • Huang, Tien-Ho

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20210820

Claims (10)

  1. An insertion device comprising a handle (110) , an elongated shaft (120) at least in partly flexible, having a movable distal portion (129) controllable with a user interface (130, 430), and a driving system (140, 440) for transforming actuation from the user interface (130, 430) to a movement of the movable distal portion (129), characterized in that the driving system (140, 440) has a housing (144, 444) leak-tightly connected to the elongated shaft (120) from one side and, the housing (144, 444) from the opposite side is provided with a first detachable leak-tight fastening means (201, 201a, 202), wherein the handle (110) is provided with a second detachable leak-tight fastening means (301, 302) suitable for being leak-tightly connected to the first fastening means (201, 201a, 202) directly or by the means of an additional element, whereas the driving system (140, 440) is suitable for receiving an actuation signal from the user interface (130, 430) via a leak-tight connection of the housing (140, 440) with the handle (110), whereas the driving system constitutes a pull-push gear (140) with an eccentric intermediate element (143), having on one side two cable members (121, 122) reciprocally attached and from the opposite side the eccentric intermediate element (143) is engaged reciprocally with a first piston (141) and a second piston (142), wherein in the leak-tight partition (150) two openings (151) are provided, through which the first piston (141) and the second piston (142) protrude so that the first piston (141) and the second piston (142) are sealed in the openings (151) of the partition (150) by the means of sealing means (152) and they reciprocally affect the pull-push gear (140), whereas the user interface is a lever connected (130) to a first pusher (131) and a second pusher (132) suitable for pushing the first piston (141) and the second piston (142), respectively.
  2. An insertion device according to claim 1, characterized in that it has at least one cable member (121, 122) connected to the movable distal portion (129) from one side, extending along the elongated shaft (120) and connected to the driving system (140) from the opposite side, whereas the driving system is suitable for converting of the actuation from the user interface (130) to a translatory motion of the cable member (121, 122).
  3. An insertion device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the housing (144, 444) of the driving system (140, 440) is closed with a leak-tight partition (150).
  4. An insertion device according to any of the claims from 1 to 3, characterized in that the movable distal portion (129) is provided with an imaging device (128) connected to a screen (111) placed in the handle (110), by means of a connector (153) of the housing provided in the housing of the driving system (140, 440) and a connector (113) of the handle provided in the handle (110).
  5. An insertion device according to claim 4, characterized in that the connector (153) of the housing or the connector (113) of the handle comprises pogo-pins.
  6. An insertion device according to claim 3 or 4 or 5, characterized in that a light source (161) is located in the housing (144) of the pull-push gear.
  7. An insertion device according to any of the claims from 1 to 6, characterized in that the first fastening means (201, 201a, 202) comprise a threaded connection with a gasket.
  8. An insertion device according to any of the claims from 1 to 7, characterized in that the first fastening means (201, 201a, 202) and the second fastening means (301, 302) are complementary.
  9. An insertion device according to any of the claims from 1 to 8, characterized in that it is provided with an intermediate element suitable for connecting with the first and the second fastening means.
  10. An insertion device according to any of the claims from 1 to 9, characterized in that the housing (144) of the driving system is provided with a pneumatic connector (148) .

Description

Technical field The subject of the invention is an insertion device, in particular an endoscope. Background art Insertion devices, such as endoscopes, find application in numerous fields, in particular in medicine. The endoscope is constructed of a handle and a working end, so called an indenter, ended with a distal portion, in particular movable distal portion. The endoscope can be also used as a part of the other system. By the distal portion means enabling procedures and examination are located - the most often the means enabling the transfer of an image or acquisition of parameters from other sensors. The indenter can be also provided with means for providing medicines or other substances or even surgical tools. The combination of aforementioned can also be used. The use of the movable distal end, controlled by means of a user interface, the most often a mechanical interface, in particular by a lever located on the handle enables the optimal placement of the distal portion with regard to an operating field and carrying out the examination by endoscope in the more accurate and less invasive way. The movable distal portion is engaged with the user interface. The endoscope additionally comprises on the end a camera or a lens and means for transferring the image along the shaft. Typically, the movable distal portion is steered by means of at least one cable member. By using two (or more) cable members, an additional control of twisting of the movable distal portion can be obtained. Also other numerous techniques of steering the movable distal portion of the endoscope are known, including pneumatic, hydraulic and other. In endoscopes various gears are used, transmitting the movements of the operator interacting with the mechanical interface to the movements of the distal portion of the shaft. For example, in the document JP2016054967, the endoscope with connection rod gear in which force is transmitted by a pusher 24 is disclosed. In document WO2013150871, an endoscope with a connection rod gear is also disclosed. Additionally, a need to provide leak-tightness of a shaft and a movable distal portion is identified. The connection rod gear was used also in the solution according to the document WO2007080989, in which an endoscope with additional functions requiring exceptional leak-tightness was discussed as well as a need of use of materials resistant to disinfection agents for construction of controlling system of the endoscope was raised, in order to decrease degradation in the course of disinfection and sterilization. Another construction of the endoscope document is disclosed e.g. in WO2017040692, wherein an endoscope comprises a proximal handle and a shaft having a distal insertion end; a camera assembly mounted in a rotatable housing on the insertion end; the rotatable housing configured to rotate about an axis generally perpendicular to a long axis of the insertion end; wherein the rotatable housing is a distal-most element of the insertion end of the shaft. In the state-of-the-art also other mechanisms of the gears for medical use are known. From the Polish patent Pat.220015 a surgical tool is known, provided with a guide with a controlling pusher, wherein an end of the guide, on which a surgical instrument is seated, is connected to a substantial portion of the guide by means of an articulation. The end of the controlling pusher is connected through an eccentric intermediate element to an executive pusher, which is dedicated to transmission of the drive to the surgical instrument. The eccentric intermediate element is rotatably seated in a bending axis of the articulation, and the controlling pusher and the executive pusher are connected rotatably with the eccentric intermediate element. In a substantial part of the guide, a bending pusher runs through, which end is fixed rotatably to the guide end. The eccentric intermediate element can have a form of two-armed connector, whose arms are advantageously at an angle to each other equal to 135°, or alternatively it can be in the form of a disc. The flexible endoscopes known in the state-of-the-art are prone to mechanical damages, in particular their shafts, movable end portions and cable members. Due to the fact that endoscopes have contact with a patient, they have to be prepared to reuse after each procedure, i.e. cleaned, disinfected and/or sterilized, what additionally contributes to frequent mechanical and chemical damages of the whole device. The need to secure the handle with the user interface - and in endoscopes with a screen also the screen - makes the process of disinfection troublesome and not insufficient protection contributes to the fast wearing of those elements. Problem to be solved Solutions known in the state-of-the-art do not provide the possibility of multiple use of the insertion device in a safe way for the patient, without exposing elements sensitive to damages during exposition on aggressive methods and cleaning, disinfecting or